Electrical connecting and supporting device



v E. C. WHITE. ELECTRICAL GONNECTING AND SUPPORTING DEVICE- APPLlcATloN HLED'JAN. lo, 1920.

Pategted Dec. 28, 1920.

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ERNEST CANTELO WHITE, orNEW YORK, N. Y., AssTGNOR To ELECTRTC OUTLET COMPANY, TNC., OE NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ANI) SUPPORTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Application filed January 10, 1920.v Serial No. 350,69.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERNEST CANTELO WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing in theborough of the Bronx of the city of New York, in the State oNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Connecting and Supporting Devices, of `which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, forming` apart hereof.

In a copending application filed by the present application on January 10, 1920, Serial Number 350,688, there is shown and described an electrical connecting andsupporting device with reference primarily to its application to the attachment of a fixture to a ceiling. In said application the principle on which the improved support is based is claimed broadly. Thepresent invention relates to an electrical connecting and supporting device in which the same principle, broadly, is employed, but in which the embodiment is somewhat different. In accordance with the invention two conductor arms carrying a pendant support for an electrical attachment..eKtend into curved grooves in a receptacle but the weight of the iiXture instead of being borne wholly along the edges of the grooves asdescribed in said copending application is transmitted to the receptacle partly along the edges of the grooves and partly through the engagement of the conductor arms beyond the grooves with the receptacle.

Reference is now to be had to the accom-1 panying drawing for a detailed description' of one construction by which the present objects of the invention are realized, in which drawing- Figure l isa view in vertical section through a Hush receptacle showing the application of the improved electrical connecting and supporting devices thereto.

Fig. 2 is a View in horizontal section taken through the flush receptacle shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a view in transversesection taken ithrough the insulating blocks on 'which are carried the conductor arms. y

Fig. 4 is a'view in'hori'zontal section taken through the blocks shown in Fig. 3.

. As pointed Out'in said copending application while electrical connecting and supporting devices of the general character covered Aby that application mayV be em- Y s atented Dec. 2 8, y1920. y

ploy-ed with surfaces inclined at any angle i to the horizontal and with electrical attach-y ments of any form, the immediate problem is concerned with the hangingof. lighting xturesfrom a ceiling in such* manner as to afford universality kof application rthereof through the improved support vand ready interchangeability of fixtures. Accordingly, ther embodiment incorporating the' features ofthe present invention'lhasbeen with the Support of a lighting iixture which maybe carriedon some-.such pendant support as is indicated at c, from an outletfbox embedded in the ceiling, such as is indicated at b. The outlet boX is Ashown as having secured to its lower edge a ceiling plate c, as by means of screws d, which platemay have a central opening, indicated atc', which is and the platee may berecessed',as at c4, to

receive the yheads y, of these'fboltsin such manner as toi-preserve. the sightliness ofthe exposedy surface of the plate. Theblock 7' forms a receptale with Vthe plate e. `'Ihe terminals g, g may be .formed of `opposed spring plates for a reason which will later appear. y o In the insulating plate ef are formed curved grooves c2, c3 adapted to receive curved Conductor arms h, i. As illustrated, the grooves c2, c3 are curved in opposite directions and spaced apart a distance del termined by the distance between the arms h, ,so that these arms when inserted into the respectivegrooves extend into the chambers f fz, respectively, in opposite directions.

i The groove c2 and the arm L are 'curved on arcs struck about a center .indicated at 7c, and the groove c3 and arm lare curved along arcs struck about a center indicated at Z. The arms 7171 beyond their respective grooves e2, csrmerge into straightened sections it', z", respectively, which, when the arms are propics 65 i shown and will be described 1n connection c erly positioned, present a bearing surface,

`ing means for such arms.

preferably of somewhat substantial area to the reverse tace of the insulating plate e.

The lower ends of the arms 7L, are secured by any suitable means, such as through-studs 72,2, 2, to semi-cylindrical segmental'insulating blocks h3, 3, respectively. The segments h3, 3 are recessed along their diametrical meeting faces, as at 7a4, 4., vrespectively, to receive the respective conductor arms 7L, and their securing devices k2, 2 withample clearance to prevent short circuiting at this point. The studs h2, 2 mayV have threaded on their inner ends bindingnuts h5, 5, respectively, to aord a convenient means of connecting the studs with the respective wires m, m of the electrical attachment. lt is to be understoodthat the conductor arms 71 c' may be attached to their respective insulating blocks if', s by means other than those described herein and that the electrical connections between such conductors .and the wires m, m may be ol other forms and independent of the attach- The segmental blocks 7b3, 3 when placed together with their diametrical meeting faces in contact constitute a true cylinder, and are threaded eXt-eriorly to receive a locking ring n whereby the blocks are held in this relationship and the arms it, locked in place in the grooves e2, e3 as will presently appear.

rEhe particular improvements with which this application is concerned will now be pointed out in detail in connection with the method of assembling the parts described and their respective functions when in use. It is contemplated that each electrical attachment or fixture carried on the pendant support a will have attached to its support a locking ring, such as n, for universality of application to the improved connecting and supporting devices. Such an attachment or xture will have its wires m, m connected electrically to the respective conductors h, the ring at this time being 1removed from the blocks ha, 3. @ne of `the conductor arms k will then be manipulated so as to pass it upwardly through the groove e2 in the plate e until the segment bears against' the underface of the plate e, the

block during this assembling being so manipulated-as to permit the arm h to con- Jform to the curvature of Athe groove e2 and finally reach a position of rest within `the chamber f in which it is in electrical contact with the terminal g and has its end it yresting on the reverse face of the plate.

The other arm will then be passed upwardly in a similar manner through its groove e3 until it comes to rest in a correspondingposition within the chamber f2, at which time it will be inelectrical connection with the terminal g and its end z" will rest against the inner face of the plate c.

The center la of the arcs on which the groove e2 and curved portion of the conductor arm h are described rests on or without the periphery of the segment h3 so as to permit the assembling operation-described. In the same manner the center Z for the arcs on which the groove c3 and curved kportion oi the conductor arm are laid out will lie on or outside ofthe periphery of the segmental block 3. When the parts are thus assembled the locking ring n is threaded on tto the blocks `until its upper "edge v.is brought into snug engagement with the face of the plate e. The sides of lthe arms k7L, nearest to their respective blocks h3, 1Q-bear on the respective grooves e2, e3. in this condition there is a turning movement kvimpressed Von the conductor arm 't bythe weight of fthe electrical attachment which `turning moment about the respective bearing surface tends to withdraw the arm h through the `'groove e2 about the center 7c and :an 'equal and opposite turning vmoment is impressed on the conductor arm tending to withdraw it from its groove e3 about the center Z. These turning moments when the blocks 7a3, 3 are locked together are equal 'and opposite and so equa-lized. The weight of ythe fixture is then borne by the plate c partially through the horizontal and vertical components oi force transmitted to the yplate along fthe edges of the slots e2, e, and partially by vertical lines of force transmitted to kthe plate at the points of contact .between the' straight ends h', of 'the 'conductor arms It, andthe reverse Vface of the plate. By thus affording points yoia support for lthe conductor arms at'other points on the plate than :along `'the edgesof vthe slots c2, e3, :the weight of the vfixture 'is ymore Vevenly distributed vthrough the body .of the plate and the lateral `stresses which would otherwise be imposed. thereon are reduced.

Changes in the forms tof :the electrical connections herein shown .and described :and in the ydetails of the imechanical connections and in -the precise forms rand relation [of 5the conductor arms and their-#associated parts may be `made @without departing from the scope of the invention provided that lthe weight oi Vthe fixture is vcarried by elements which correspond fin :function 4to :the :elements illustrated and which :have somewhat the same yoperative relation.

I .claim as .my invention:

1. An electrical connecting aand supporting device :including .fa 'ceiling receptacle vformed with an entrance `opening vand .provided with a terminal, and a plug member including iixture supporting means., a fconducting and supporting :member 'to engage the terminal, and insulating means rbetween the fixture supporting 4mean-s `and :said conducting member, `said receptacle and :terminal including a Ahorizontal fbearing surface within the receptacle for the side of the conducting and supporting member nearest to the plug member, said receptacle and plug member' also including cooperating means for resisting the turning moment of the conducting and supporting member about the said bearing surface by the weight of a iixture'on the fixture supporting means.

2. An electrical connecting and supporting device including a 'ceiling receptacle formed with entrance openings and provided with terminals, and a plug member including ixture supporting means, two bent conducting and supporting members extending in opposite directions and engaging the respective terminals, and insulating means between the fixture supporting means and said conducting members, said receptacle and terminals including horizontal bearing surfaces for said supporting and conducting members. Y

3. An electrical connecting and supporting device including a ceiling receptacle formed with entrance openings and provided with terminals, and a plug member includ ing fixture supporting means, two bent conducting and supporting members extending in opposite directions to engage the respective terminals and having flat bearing portions beyond the bent portions, respectively, on the sides nearest to the plug member, and insulating means between the fixture supporting means and said conducting members, said receptacle and terminalsincluding hori-V zontal bearing surfaces for the said flat portions of the conducting and supporting members.

4. A ceiling receptacle for an electrical connecting and supporting device formed with entrance openings, for two conducting and supporting members nearestto theplug members, said lreceptacle and terminals in- Y' cluding horizontal bearing surfaces within the receptacle for the sidesof the conducting member. v Y

5. A ceiling receptacle for an electrical connecting and supporting device `formedy with entrance openings for two bent con-` ducting and supporting members cfa fixture supporting plug member of the device ex,-` tending in opposite directions, and kprovided with terminals in the same verticalplanes with the entrance openings, respective1y,to be engaged by the conducting Vand supporting members, said receptacle and terminals including horizontal bearing surfaces on which the conducting and supporting members rest. Y

6. A plug for a ceiling electrical connecting and supporting device including ixture supporting means, two separable conducting and supporting members inclined in different directions to enter a receptacle of the deu vice and engage terminals therein, said members having horizontal supporting surfaces adjacent their ends, and insulating'means betweenthe fixture supporting means and said y conducting members, said insulatingv means and ixture supportlng means including against relative movement. o A Y This specification signed his 19th day of December, A. D. 1919. o Y

ERNEST CANTELO WHITE.

means to hold said supporting members -r i 

